Top Tools & Guides

NYC Subway Service Stops as Kittens are Rescued from the Tracks in Brooklyn

By Kerri Fivecoat-Campbell August 30, 2013 at 04:17PM

It takes something very big to shut down the New York City transit, but it only took two small kittens to shut down a train in Brooklyn on Thursday.

The 4-week-old kittens were scampering along the B & Q line tracks in Brooklyn when authorities cut power to the tracks for the rescue attempt.

While New Yorkers may be known for liking their trains to be on time, many understood the humanitarian efforts taking place on the tracks.

“The announcer said it had to stop to rescue some cats,” commuter Sandra Polel told the New York Daily News. “I didn’t mind. I wanted to get home, but I also wanted the kittens to be safe.”

When the first efforts failed to rescue the pair, trains resumed, but were ordered to proceed through the area with caution.

Another rescue effort was launched at 5:45 p.m., when express train service was suspended along the three tracks.

A plain-clothes and a uniformed officer, with help from transit authority workers, chased the frisky felines back and forth, but they were cagy and avoided all efforts until an officer wearing an insulated glove was able to scoop them off the tracks.

The kittens, now named Arthur and August, have been taken to the Brooklyn Animal Care Shelter where they will be medically evaluated.

Given their recent notoriety for being on the loose, they likely will have several inquiries from people wanting to adopt.

This weekend, we celebrate Labor Day in the United States, a day to recognize people who are the foundation of our economy. These transit workers and police should definitely be recognized.